Mobile application development refers to the creation of software applications for mobile devices. A mobile application uses a network connection and works with remote computing resources. Velvetech, among the many mobile app development companies, involves processes in developing these applications. These include creating installable software bundles such as code, binaries, assets, and more. Testing the application on target devices is part of the process. The implementing of backend services, such as data access with an API, also plays a role.
Device platforms
Two platforms are dominating the modern smartphone market. These are the Android from Google and the iOS platform from Apple Inc. A superb operating system, the iOS platform is what powers Apple’s famous line of iPhone smartphones. Google devices use the Android operating system. Many other OEMs also use Android to build their smartphones and smart devices.
These two platforms have similarities when it comes to building applications. However, they involve using different development toolchain and software development kits or SDKs. The iOS platform is exclusive for Apple devices only. Android is available to other companies as long as they meet specific requirements. These include certain Google applications on the devices they ship. Developers get the opportunity to build apps for hundreds to millions of devices. They have an excellent chance when they target both of these platforms instead of only one.
Alternatives
There are different development approaches when building mobile applications. The four major ones are:
- Native Mobile Applications;
- Cross-Platform Native Mobile Applications;
- Hybrid Mobile Applications; and
- Progressive Web Applications.
These approaches have their set of advantages and disadvantages. Developers consider several factors when choosing the right development approach for their projects. These include:
- desired user experience;
- time targets;
- computing resources;
- native features required by the app;
- development budget; and
- resources available to maintain the app.
- Native applications
These are in the programming language and frameworks provided by the platform owner. Native mobile applications run right on the operating system of the device.
- Cross-platform applications
These are applications written in various programming languages and frameworks. The developer compiles cross-platform applications into a native application. It then runs straight on the operating system of the device.
- Hybrid-web applications
These mobile applications, built with standard web technologies, include JavaScript, HTML5, and CSS. Hybrid-web applications are usually bundled as app installation packages. Unlike native applications, these work on a web container providing a browser runtime. It also gives a bridge for native device APIs through Apache Cordova.
- Progressive web applications
These offer an alternative approach to traditional mobile application development. Progressive web applications skip app store delivery and app installations. These are applications that use a set of browser capabilities, such as running a background process and working offline. Another one is adding a link to the device home screen to provide an app-like user experience.
Mobile application services
Developers can leverage cloud and third-party services to make the development quicker. These include the following:
- User sign-up/sign-in and management;
- Speech recognition;
- Social log-in;
- Real-time and offline data;
- Real device testing;
- Push notifications;
- Image and video recognition;
- Conversational bots;
- Cloud storage;
- Application logi/cloud functions; and
Analytics and user engagement.
